I finally used the spikes on my speakers. WOW

[Revelation]

I have Focal Aria 926 speakers in my living room and they are sitting on carpet. I never bothered to use the spikes and the speakers sounded just fine. When I started reading about the very expensive ISO Acoustic pads improving the sound of speakers, I started thinking....I wonder how much the carpet is damping the sound of my speakers? By using the spikes and lifting the speakers off the carpet by a certain degree, the mids opened up, bass tighter, and its more spacious. Is this really true? Let me go to a song I know very well. Hotel Calif from Hell Freezes over. By playing the song I notice the more detail immediately. I'm sure it would be different if I had a hardwood floor as well. But I just learned a important lesson. Has anyone else found the same thing?

 

[ryanosaur]

Just a point of clarification: Spikes "couple" to the floor. They do not decouple or isolate.

 

[Revelation]

I have carpet and when I screw them down far, it lifts the speakers so the base is not fully in contact with the floor

 

[ryanosaur]

Indeed. They should be pushing through the carpet and contacting the floorboard directly. Ideally, you would level them and make certain that there is no wobble to the speaker at all.

 

[Verdinut]

Just a point of clarification: Spikes "couple" to the floor. They do not decouple or isolate.

I disagree. Spikes have a decoupling action since they concentrate a speaker cabinet resonance to a tiny area on the floor compared to that when not using any.

I am sure that his floor is not vibrating as much as it used to. Show me the proof to the contrary?

 

[ryanosaur]

I disagree. Spikes have a decoupling action since they concentrate a speaker cabinet resonance to a tiny area on the floor compared to that when not using any.

I am sure that his floor is not vibrating as much as it used to. Show me the proof to the contrary?

Well, there's this:

Speaker Spikes and Cones – What’s the point?

In recent years it has become common for items of audio equipment to be mounted using “spikes” or “cones”. These come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and materials, at all kinds of prices. The Hi-Fi

www.audioholics.com

For me, I see 3 or 4 points that are anchored to both surfaces, the Speaker and the floor. this is direct physical contact. There is no isolation or decoupling action in this: it is pure coupling.
Any vibration can be conducted directly through those spikes.

It is all too common to see people claim that spikes will isolate, but it is simply not physically possible when you consider the direct contact.

 

[Revelation]

Spikes can connect (couple) to floor. This causes a tiny area of the speaker stand to only touch the carpet which reduces the damping effect the carpet had on my speakers. So your both right.

 

[Old Onkyo]

If it sounds better….ride ‘‘em hard!

 

[lovinthehd]

LOL always the tighter bass from a tweak. Hey, if it makes you feel good, go for it. Spikes on carpet might work to help movement/stability....after that I think we're into audiophilia fantasy land.

 

[slipperybidness]

I have Focal Aria 926 speakers in my living room and they are sitting on carpet. I never bothered to use the spikes and the speakers sounded just fine. When I started reading about the very expensive ISO Acoustic pads improving the sound of speakers, I started thinking....I wonder how much the carpet is damping the sound of my speakers? By using the spikes and lifting the speakers off the carpet by a certain degree, the mids opened up, bass tighter, and its more spacious. Is this really true? Let me go to a song I know very well. Hotel Calif from Hell Freezes over. By playing the song I notice the more detail immediately. I'm sure it would be different if I had a hardwood floor as well. But I just learned a important lesson. Has anyone else found the same thing?

Meh, placebo/expectation bias.

I doubt you could pick out the spike vs. no spike in a double blind test. Unless you have something really odd or different going on with your flooring.

I like the carpet spikes where I have carpeted areas. But, only because it makes the towers even more stable, just in case one gets bumped.

 

[-Jim-]

This concept, and resulting article from 2007 screams for an update with real measurements. Perhaps combine it with the one I recently glanced at with it's ultra expensive isolators. Real Data is needed rather than stories...

 

[Mark E. Long]

Is there any chocolate involved in the end result

 

[-Jim-]

Is there any chocolate involved in the end result

Of course! It's Christmas Time!

 

[Pogre]

I like the carpet spikes where I have carpeted areas. But, only because it makes the towers even more stable, just in case one gets bumped.

That's my reason for using the spikes. I put them on when I first set up my speakers and haven't listened to them without tho so I never really compared tho.

 

[ryanosaur]

I don’t need to use a holiday as an excuse to chocolate! (Yes, I verbed that noun. )

 

[highfigh]

I have carpet and when I screw them down far, it lifts the speakers so the base is not fully in contact with the floor

If no spikes are used, the compressed carpet and padding have decoupled the speakers from the floor because they don't transfer energy efficiently. The spikes do, however, make taller speakers less prone to movement from vibration by preventing the soft floor covering allowing tilting, even on a small scale.

 

[slipperybidness]

This concept, and resulting article from 2007 screams for an update with real measurements. Perhaps combine it with the one I recently glanced at with it's ultra expensive isolators. Real Data is needed rather than stories...

All of the best improvements can't be measured

 

[cerwinmad]

Having just setup my new set this weekend and using them without spikes for a night (on carpet) then with spikes after ..... Zero perceptible difference. I think the iso pad literature gave you an expectation bias which was born out after fitting the spikes . You expected improvement, so there was just my 2c

 

[Revelation]

I'm an audio engineer for over 25 years. Having less speaker platform on the carpet made a difference. My speakers used to have a warmer sound and now they have a more open sparkle and the bass is tighter. It's not just in my head. My wife noticed the difference without me saying anything about it.

 

[Pogre]

My wife noticed the difference without me saying anything about it.

From the other room too, right? Lol